Effect of irradiation temperature on the optical properties and structure of swift heavy ion irradiated Al2O3


Kirilkin N.S. Rymzhanov R.A. O’Connell J.H. Skuratov V.A. Akilbekov A. Dauletbekova A. Ospanova Z.
April 2026Elsevier B.V.

Journal of Nuclear Materials
2026#625

This research aims to investigate damage morphology and photoluminescence (PL) in single crystalline Al2O3 irradiated with high energy Xe ions (152 and 230 MeV) in the temperature range from 80 K to 870 K to fluences of 1011 cm-2 and 1013 cm-2. PL spectra were measured under 445 nm excitation from the subsurface layer using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), which limited probed thickness to approximately 2 μm, corresponding to the region affected by ion-track-related radiation defects. The PL spectra exhibit a broad, multicomponent band with maximum at 560 nm, attributed to F22+ color centers. It was found that, in addition to the main band centered near 560 nm, a separate emission band appears at approximately 630 nm. The contribution of the 630 nm band to the total photoluminescence yield increases with irradiation temperature and becomes dominant after irradiation at 870 K, but the temperature dependences of the individual spectral components follow the same trend. The luminescence decay curves measured at 560 and 630 nm exhibit two components, whose relative weights depend on both ion fluence and irradiation temperature. Suggesting enhanced clustering of point defects at high temperature due to ion track region overlapping, such behavior may indicate that the 630 nm emission band is also relevant to aggregate color centers. Correlations between changes in optical properties and defect structure, examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are discussed.

Aluminum oxide , Ion tracks , Molecular dynamic simulation , Photoluminescence , Radiation damage , Swift heavy ions , Time-resolved spectroscopy

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Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Joliot-Curie 6, Dubna, 141980, Russian Federation
Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1 Ibragimov St., Almaty, 050032, Kazakhstan
Centre for HRTEM, Nelson Mandela University, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, Summerstrand, 6031, South Africa
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Kashirskoye sh., 31, Moscow, 115409, Russian Federation
Dubna State University, Universitetskaya 19, Moscow Region, Dubna, 141980, Russian Federation
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan

Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
Institute of Nuclear Physics
Centre for HRTEM
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
Dubna State University
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University

10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель

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